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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · hand · wind · bulb · chip · prune · charge · bore

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — a price
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. charge — electricity
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bulb — for light
  10. press — a publisher
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. chip — to eat
  13. prune — to trim
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bore — to tire
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. press — to push
  22. hand — help
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. hand — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com